Betrayed
by shipsterhipsters
Summary: Young hotshot FBI agent Emily Prentiss is recruited from her post in counter terrorism for a special assignment: to investigate what really goes on inside the BAU. Her main target? The face of the unit- media liason Jennifer Jareau.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of this eventually- lengthy story! The plot will fall into place as the chapters go on!

Emily is ready to move up in the FBI, and if that means taking a shady undercover assignment designed to undermine the BAU, she'll do it without blinking. She just doesn't realize that her target, Jennifer Jareau, will become her biggest obstacle- and heartbreak.

* * *

"Agent Prentiss, do come in. And shut the door behind you."

Section Chief Strauss's commandeering voice echoed throughout her roomy office as she sat forward towards her desk, hands folded. Emily Prentiss slipped through the entrance, shutting the heavy door behind her. The room felt uncomfortable, and Emily wasn't quite sure if it was her own nerves making it so awkward, or if it was the lack of character decorating the walls. Strauss's office felt more like a waiting room than a place the Section Chief spent every day in.

"Always a pleasure, ma'm," Emily greeted blandly, reaching forward to shake her hand before taking a seat. Although she knew what this was about, it didn't make it any less nerve wracking.

"I assume you've had enough time to consider the Bureau's offer?" Strauss questioned, straightening out a pile of paperwork on her desk as she side-eyed the dark haired girl. _Emily Prentiss, _the file in front of her read. The special agent was only 30, but had been in the bureau for 6 years already. Her file was impressive, her work in counter-terrorism had received nothing but praise from her superiors. _Loyal, _they all repeated, over and over again. _Determined. _

Everyone who had worked with her had advised Strauss that she would be a perfect fit for the BAU. _Prentiss can read anyone like the back of her hand. If there's something the Bureau needs to know, chances __are she already knows it._

"I have," Emily replied, clearing her throat. A month ago, her superior at her assigned field office had pulled her aside to introduce her to none other than the chief of the Bureau's most successful team: the Behavioral Analysis Unit. When Strauss had offered Emily a position at the BAU, she had been elated. The team was so elite, she doubted she would've ever been considered; she hadn't even _applied _for the opening. But somehow, they'd picked her.

It wasn't until two weeks ago that Emily had been told _why. _

Apparently, Strauss doubted her most favorable team. _The unit has gone rogue, _she'd commented, with a tired sigh. She doubted Aaron Hotchner's leadership. She feared Derek Morgan was too aggressive, too angry to act rationally in the field. She felt Jason Gideon had completely checked out from the team since Elle left, and she wondered if Spencer Reid's eidetic memory might be better used somewhere else.

Her most pressing concern, however, was Jennifer Jareau.

_The cases start and end with her,_ Strauss had explained. The young blonde media liason had a reputation for doing it all and staying until every file was cleared off her desk. She was considered by many to be the golden agent; the perfect example of a dedicated employee. But Strauss had explained that she felt Agent Jareau wasn't behaving like herself lately.

She feared that another party may be influencing her decisions; what cases she takes, and which cases she skips over. Apparently, a pattern had been noticed. The cases Agent Jareau had rejected seemed to all lead back to one group of people. A newly discovered homegrown terrorist group.

Chief Strauss had explained that Agent Jareau was _not _to be made aware she was under investigation. In case, of course, Strauss was wrong, and Agent Jareau's case selection had truly been an honest mistake. The Bureau had made it clear they didn't want to lose a valuable asset over an accident. That's where Emily came in.

Emily's job would be to not only work as a junior profiler, but also to profile her coworkers. Strauss wanted answers. Strauss wanted to know what was going on in all of their heads. Especially Jennifer Jareau's.

Emily would be sent in to get close to a team she hadn't met, a media liason she didn't know. And she would sabotage them.

"And do you have an answer for me?" Strauss asked calmly, interrupting Emily's internal battle. "Agent Prentiss, by accepting this promotion and joining this unit, your career would be limitless. And by accepting this... special assignment, you would be held in the highest regards from the Bureau."

Emily stared at Strauss. Stared at her roomy office, her expensive clothing, the mountain of paperwork on her desk that needed her approval. She stared at the power the woman exuded. The power she held due to how she'd risen in the ranks. The nameplate sitting on her desk that read "Section Chief".

The power Emily so badly craved. The nameplate _she _deserved.

"I accept your offer," Emily replied evenly, pushing away the guilty feeling that came with the acceptance of her new job. "I'd like to start as soon as possible."

A chilling smile spread over Erin Strauss's face.

"Well then, welcome to the team, SSA Prentiss."

* * *

The first day was always the hardest.

At least, that's what Emily told herself as the elevator doors opened up to reveal the legendary bullpen of the BAU. The desks seemed crowded and messy, people were scurrying back and forth around the sides of the room. They all seemed to fade into the background. Emily had her eyes on who she was really supposed to focus on.

Seated in the dead center of the large office space was an interconnecting series of desks belonging to the star profilers of the FBI. Sprawled in his office chair haphazardly was Derek Morgan, playing with a pen as he seemed to arrogantly explain something to a younger, lean man with longer brown hair who Emily recognized as Dr. Spencer Reid. Reid was leaning against Morgan's desk, accompanied by a flamboyant blonde in wedged heels that screamed "Penelope Garcia".

Emily had studied up on the entire team before her first day, of course.

As she slowly approached the desks, she saw a tall, dark haired man in a neatly pressed suit urgently approaching the bullpen. He spoke quietly to the group and they all seemed to adjust their behavior as soon as they saw him, becoming prim and proper yet again. Emily realized he must be the Unit Chief, Aaron Hotchner.

When Hotchner waved her over, Emily realized she was staring and had gotten lost in her thoughts. Swallowing the rest of her nerves away, she confidently approached the bullpen.

"You must be Agent Prentiss. I'm Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner," the man said shortly, extending a hand for her to shake. When Emily shook it, she made note of how firm and quick his grip was. He seemed confident, yet impatient. "This is the new agent I was telling you about," he explained, turning to face the rest of his team.

The muscular man- Morgan?- was the first to step forward and shake Emily's hand. "I'm Derek Morgan," he said curtly, shaking her hand in a similar manner to Hotchner. Emily guessed the two agents were a bit standoffish to how quickly her transfer had gone through. She didn't doubt them, but reminded herself she may have to try a little bit harder to get close to those two than she originally planned.

"Dr. Reid, nice to meet you," the younger guy interjected, sticking his hand out awkwardly with a dopey smile. "You know, only 10% of applicants are recruited to the FBI each year, and of those 10% most are much older than you, your file said you just turned 30," he continued, shaking her hand as he spoke. "That's impressive, especially considering that statistically-"

"Okay Reid, don't scare the new girl away just yet," the colorful blonde cut in, waddling forward in her heels to pull Emily into a hug, pushing aside the hand she'd extended to shake. "I don't do handshakes, if you're part of this team now, you should learn early on. I'm Penelope Garcia, gatekeeper of all things knowable and unknowable."

"Meaning she is our genius technical analyst," a soft, soothing voice cut in from behind the group, making Emily immediately spin around to see who had approached.

Briskly walking towards the bullpen in a tight grey sweater with dark, pressed jeans was a thin woman with long wavy blonde hair and cerulean eyes that seemed to pierce into Emily's soul.

"I'm Jennifer Jareau, media liason," the younger girl greeted, extending a pale hand for Emily to shake. Emily took her hand slowly, not expecting the suspected homegrown terrorist to look so... innocent.

"I'm Emily Prentiss," Emily replied, eyes darting to the genuine smile that graced the blonde's face as she spoke. "It's great to meet all of you, really. I'm very happy to be here."

"It's not an easy unit to get in to," Morgan commented, raising his eyebrows at Emily. She stiffened.

"But it is the most rewarding," Jennifer interjected, shooting Emily a half smile. "Morgan here is just protective of us. We're like a little family. You'll see."

"I can tell already," Emily replied honestly as she looked around the group. "I've heard amazing things about this unit."

"Your file says you worked in counterterrorism?" Hotch questioned, curiously eyeing the new agent.

"I did, six years," Emily answered, shifting her weight from side to side. She felt like she was under examination, although she knew they were just trying to get to know her. They didn't know she had something to hide. "I enjoyed it, sir. But I'm ready for the change of pace."

The media liason's phone dinged, cutting off what Hotchner was about to say. "Well, speaking of a change of pace," Jennifer sighed, holding her phone up to the group. "We'll have to continue formalities later. We just got a case."

* * *

Emily could not believe that she was currently making herself comfortable in an oversized lounge seat aboard the BAU's private _jet. __I could get used to this, _she thought to herself as she sat her go bag down on the ground next to her, sighing with relief as she sunk into the cushy leather. In the row ahead of her were Reid and Morgan; the two seemed to be like brothers. Emily realized to gain one of their trust, she'd have to gain both.

Sitting on the couch opposite the two was Hotchner, or Hotch as he'd instructed Emily to call him. A stern look was etched on his face as he studied a piece of paperwork on the table in front of him. Part of Emily wondered if he ever smiled. He seemed all work and no play so far; very by the book. Why was Strauss doubting his leadership? Was it a lack of emotion?

"He doesn't smile much, huh?"

Emily looked up to see Jennifer scooting into the chair directly in front of her, holding two water bottles in her arms. With a comforting laugh, Emily nodded in agreement and accepted the water bottle that was handed to her.

"No, he doesn't. Thank you, you didn't have to do that."

"It's no problem. You're the ones running around in the field, working up a sweat," Jennifer joked, leaning back into the chair as she focused her attention on the brunette. "Don't let the boys intimidate you. Like I said earlier, they're very protective."

"You guys don't get a lot of strangers working this close with you, do you?" Emily questioned, surprised by how easily the blonde seemed to talk to her, confide in her. This didn't strike Emily as someone who had something to hide. Unless she was just _that _good at hiding it.

"We don't. We haven't had a new member in years, until now," Jennifer explained. "I think it'll be a good thing. Besides, Penelope and I were getting lonely being the only girls on the team," she teased.

"Well you seem to hold your own," Emily replied, nodding her head towards the file in JJ's lap. "They talked about you a lot back in counterterrorism. There were rumors you were going to be pulled to the State department."

The blonde seemed to stiffen up at the idea of it, and Emily automatically wondered if she'd said the wrong thing. "I like the BAU," Jennifer said steadily, her eyes darting away from Emily's. "I plan on staying put for a while."

"So do I," Emily said softly, tilting her head as she looked at the blonde. Strauss had mentioned a backstop assignment that Jareau had been assigned to a few years back. The State department had been her temporary cover. Whatever had happened on this backstop assignment, Emily could tell that Jennifer wasn't completely comfortable with it. Emily knew she'd have to dig into the file more. She made a mental note to look into it that evening when she was away from the watchful eyes of her new partners.

* * *

_I would like an update by tomorrow morning of your first impressions. Remember to trust your_ gut, read the email Emily opened from none other than Section Chief Strauss.

Emily sighed, leaning back against the headboard of the hotel room's large bed, letting the stress of the day wash over her. She was finally alone in her hotel room. The rest of the team, now including her, were all staying overnight in Omaha while they worked on an active serial case. Although they'd constructed a working profile- something Emily found incredibly interesting- they hadn't come any further in identifying the unsub, and Hotch had ordered them to get some rest.

All it did was give Emily time to do more digging.

In a different software program, Emily typed in Jennifer's full name, pressing "Enter" to bring up the case files attached to her profile. Strauss had allowed a special level of clearance for Emily since she was going to need to do extensive research on each one of her team members. Emily planned on using this to her advantage.

After a few minutes of digging, Emily was able to locate the file regarding Jennifer's backstop. It looked like she'd really been stationed as a liaison at an army base- negotiating with hostages. Emily frowned as she began combing through surveillance images of the case.

Most of them were just of Jennifer from a distance as she worked, standing outside a tent talking to the men, inside the camp in the operations room, and outside the tanks, sweaty, with her hair braided and messy. Emily scrolled through them, waiting to find something that stood out. _Think like a profiler,_ she reminded herself, eyebrows furrowing.

One of the pictures made Emily stop and zoom in.

Jennifer was standing next to another girl who looked to be about the same age, wearing tactical gear and combat boots. She had a gun holstered on her hip, and Emily had to admit, the mystery girl and Emily shared a striking resemblance. Jennifer's hand was on her shoulder in a comforting gesture, and Jennifer's face was scrunched up with worry lines. The way the two were standing and the look they shared was unsettling. Emily felt like she was invading an intimate moment.

After that moment, the girl didn't show up in any other photo in the file.

Emily couldn't help but wonder what her story was. Whatever it was, Jennifer had seemed very interested in it. Had seemed interested in _her. _

For some reason, the picture, the caring look in Jennifer's eyes, nagged at Emily all night.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, if you couldn't already tell, this story will be a bit of a slow burn, but trust me, every chapter will still be packed full of all that good Jemily content {that we won't get to see more of now that the show has ended! :(( }**

**Let me know what you think so far!**

* * *

"_So how's new girl doing?_"

The media liaison had been minding her own business, getting dressed and putting the final touch on her makeup that morning when Garcia had started blowing up her phone with texts and scattered phone calls. Expecting an update on their current case, JJ had answered the call frantically, only to be met with an excited greeting from her best friend.

"I don't know, Pen," JJ frowned as she slipped one heel on, grabbing the door handle for balance. "I mean, she's only been with us for all of two days so far. She seems nice enough. Kind of keeps to herself, though."

"Well her background checks out," Penelope informed JJ. "And by that, I mean the extra-special-Penelope-Garcia background check. No criminal record, not even a speeding ticket, and her mom's a career politician, so that explains the squeaky-clean upbringing."

JJ rolled her eyes slightly. She didn't quite believe that the new mysterious agent was exactly 'squeaky-clean', but then again, people can surprise you. "You know Garcia, most people prefer to tell you things about themselves when they feel ready to share."

"This is the BAU sweetheart. You may not be a profiler, but the rest of your boys are," Garcia pointed out. "I'm sure one of them would _love _to figure her out."

JJ winced at the husky words coming from the sarcastic blonde. "Yes Pen, I'm sure they would. But if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go find 'new girl' and walk over to the station with her."

"JJ, are _you _trying to figure her out?" Penelope cooed, her eyes widening as she tried to picture her best friend with the dark-haired agent.

"Hey- stop," JJ said firmly as she slipped out of her hotel room, lowering her voice as she looked behind her to make sure nobody was around. "I told you not to talk about that at work."

"And I haven't, and won't, at least to anyone else," Penelope assured, her voice settling into a serious tone. She was the only one in JJ's life who knew about the blonde's sexuality. Although she had dated her fair share of guys, it turns out back in college little Jennifer Jareau had 'experimented' a little too much to be considered just curious. JJ had kept it private from everyone at the Bureau; everyone except for Garcia, that is. During one girls night, Penelope had found her friend chatting up another girl at the bar, talking a little too flirtatiously to be friendly. When she'd had to nearly pull JJ off the other woman that night to take her home, JJ had confided to her in the car that she was just as interested in women as in men, if not much more so. She'd pleaded with Penelope the next day not to say anything. Although Garcia had assured her that it wasn't anything to be _ashamed _of, JJ's strict small-town upbringing still hung heavy over her head, and she insisted that she just wanted to keep her relationships and preferences private. Of course, Garcia had agreed. And it was one of the only secrets she'd ever been able to keep.

"Thank you," JJ sighed. It was annoying how supportive the technical analyst could be at times. "And no, I'm not trying to 'figure her out', Pen. She's going to be part of our team, that's all. If anything, you sound more interested than anyone," she teased.

"Whatever you say, my dear," Garcia replied, simply shrugging her shoulders at the thought. "Garcia out!"

* * *

Still slightly frazzled from her phone conversation with Garcia, JJ tried to push the memories to the back of her head as she approached Emily's room and knocked lightly on the door. Truth be told, Garcia only knew the half of it. There was a lot about JJ's past that she didn't like to talk about- with anyone. There was a reason she kept things private.

JJ realized she'd been lost in her own thoughts for a good two minutes outside of Emily's door, and the new agent still hadn't answered. Frowning, she knocked again, a bit louder this time. After another few seconds passed with no answer, she began to worry slightly. What if something had happened?

When the team stayed at hotels, the extra key cards were passed to either JJ or Hotch, in no particular order. This trip, JJ had collected all secondary key cards, something of which she was thankful for as she dug through her purse for the corresponding card. Once she found it, she paused for a moment before knocking again, wanting to make sure Emily wasn't just a late sleeper.

Again, there was no response, leading JJ to swipe the key card and slowly open the door, one hand on her gun, still holstered under her jacket. "Emily?" She called softly as she stepped into the spacious room.

The room looked clean, nothing out of the ordinary. The sheets were slightly ruffled, and Emily's go bag was sitting at the foot of the bed, half unzipped. The only thing the room was missing was Emily. JJ stepped around the bed, heading to the bathroom door. It was slightly ajar, but no sound was coming from the room. JJ's heart began to beat faster; it didn't _look _like something had happened- but where was Emily Prentiss?

Taking a deep breath, JJ stepped forward and pushed open the bathroom door, hand tightening around her holstered glock. She was met with a strange sight- Emily was leaning over the sink, her chest heaving with each breath, head down and eyes shut, with a sheen of sweat on her forehead. JJ instantly noticed an earbud in Emily's ear, the cord leading to her phone which was resting on the sink's countertop. _That was why she couldn't hear you. _

Before JJ had time to react- or slip away- Emily's head shot up, seeming to suddenly notice the presence in the room with her. Her eyes widened and she ripped the earbuds out of her ear, brushing her ponytail away from her neck. "Jennifer? What- what are you doing here?"

JJ was at a loss for words- she felt like she'd invaded her privacy, seeing the new agent so calm, so _vulnerable_, almost, made the media liaison feel as if she'd commited a crime. "I- I'm sorry, you didn't answer the door, so I worried that something may have, uh, happened," she explained, her eyes darting around the room. Suddenly, she was very aware that the older agent was only wearing a loose white tank top with deep holes in the side, revealing a black patterned sports bra, and athletic shorts.

"Oh," Emily exhaled, her posture visibly relaxing. For a moment, she'd worried that somehow Jennifer had figured out that she was being watched, even though she knew the blonde agent had no reason to suspect anything. "I wasn't expecting company, I'm sorry. I thought we weren't meeting at the station until 8?"

"Well, I have a habit of being terribly early, unlike the boys, and I thought you might like to join me," JJ explained, unsure why she was having so much trouble concentrating on her words in front of her coworker. "In places like these, it's much quicker to walk the two blocks than to wait for a taxi, and the locals won't have squad cars to spare until 11."

"I'd like that," Emily said softly, tugging her hair out of its binder and wiping the last bit of sweat off her forehead. A part of her felt undeserving- after all, her motives for being around the blonde weren't exactly pure. She still didn't understand how the supposed homegrown terrorist could be such a trusting person. Or maybe she just didn't know her well enough yet, Emily mused.

"Then I will, uh, let you get changed," JJ replied with a nervous laugh, awkwardly straightening her blazer as she stepped back, moving out of the bathroom. Emily followed her, shutting the door behind them and reaching down for her go bag.

"Meet me downstairs in the lobby?" JJ suggested as she headed for the front door, turning back to face the other agent. She couldn't help but notice the way Emily's arms flexed as she swung her go bag up and onto the bed, ruffling through it for a change of clothes. Emily's arms were thin; her entire frame was, but now JJ was noticing that the agent wasn't merely skinny, she was athletic and toned. The tank top hung loosely off her broad shoulders, showcasing the sinewy muscles on those thin arms. JJ realized that Emily must have been doing push-ups before she came in and interrupted. It wasn't until JJ's eyes moved back up to Emily's face that she realized the brunette was staring at her with an odd expression. Shaking herself out of it, JJ forced a smile to spread across her face once again. "Sorry, what was that?"

"I'll be down in 5," Emily repeated, narrowing her eyes as she watched JJ smile awkwardly again before heading out of the hotel room. It was almost like she could still feel the blonde's eyes on her.

* * *

"Sorry again, about that earlier."

JJ's hands were stuffed in the pockets of her pants, her elbows bumping her own sides as they walked. Emily had cleaned up nice; she was in a button down shirt and slacks, her hair loose, blowing slightly in the wind.

"Don't worry about it, really," Emily reassured her, trying her best to play it cool and keep the conversation natural. The way JJ had been looking at her earlier made her feel like suddenly she needed to hide. However, this only meant it was more important than ever to befriend the blonde agent. Otherwise, any chance to get information back to Strauss might slip through her fingers.

"You were working out, weren't you? Do you do that every morning? Even on cases?" JJ questioned, turning her head slightly to gauge Emily's reaction. The brunette didn't seem opposed to the question, making JJ glad that she hadn't pried too much.

"I try to," Emily answered as they walked. "If I don't do it every day, I'd fall out of the habit. Being in the field so often, I can't afford to do that."

"Well, you seem to hold your own," JJ teased, making light of Emily's comment to her from last night. This earned a genuine chuckle from the brunette.

"You know I meant that, right?" Emily said suddenly, realizing that she was laughing like she'd been _joking _about her compliment to the blonde last night. "Your job isn't a easy one, Jennifer."

"I know," JJ said softly, stopping outside of the door to the precinct. For some reason, those simple words struck something in her that she hadn't felt in a long time. Respected, almost. But not _just_ respected, JJ knew that her team respected her., in the basic sense of the word. The way Emily said those words, that felt like something else.

"Emily?"

"Yeah?" Emily paused, turning back to look at her blonde counterpart.

"You can call me JJ. If you want to."

A small smile tugged at the side of Emily's mouth, but she refused to let it blossom into a grin. "Something wrong with Jennifer?"

"No, nothing wrong with it," JJ replied, brushing past Emily to grab the door handle of the station. "But I just wanted you to know you had the option. Only my friends get to call me JJ."

"Well, thank you," Emily smiled, turning her head so JJ didn't see the grin finally spreading across her face. She grabbed the door for the blonde agent and held it open, letting her pass through first. "After you, JJ."

* * *

"Hanging? In the woods? Like, upside-down-hanging-from-trees hanging?"

"Yes, baby girl, like that," Morgan sighed, rubbing his head as he set his phone down on the center of the table, speakerphone on. The entirety of the BAU team was gathered around the table, waiting for Garcia to work her magic. The local park rangers had just discovered two dead campers strung up a good 20 feet in the air on tree branches. This was in addition to the three dead men who had been found on the ground over the past two weeks. "You got anything?"

"No, never another death like that, not in the state or any of the neighboring states," Garcia finally replied. "If that's how you found those campers, there's no visible pattern so far."

"That's because they're escalating," Emily pointed out, causing Morgan's head to tilt up to her. "This is a sport to them. They're hunting people, but it's not enough to just chase them anymore. They're slaughtering them."

"Prentiss, all we have so far is 3 dead victims and 2 dead campers, found in entirely different situations. You can't even prove that it's the same unsub, much less that it's the unsub escalating over just two weeks," Morgan shot back, his response coming out much harsher than he originally meant it. It was no secret that he was wary of new members of the team. Like Garcia said, they were like family- and he considered it a responsibility to protect his.

Emily stiffened. She took a low breath, her eyes flickering around the table to try and ground herself. Hotch's face was expressionless, although his eyes were narrowing in on Morgan. Reid was awkwardly playing with his fingers, and Jennifer- no, JJ- was staring directly at her, quickly masking the worried expression she had as soon as Emily's eyes met hers. Emily looked away quickly, unsure why. Something about those damn blue eyes felt like they could see into her soul.

"We have 5 people, killed with a shot through the chest. Not by a gun, by a bow and arrow," Emily replied evenly, her eyes flickering up to meet Morgan's. Staring him down. "3 of them, found in the wilderness, each person discovered further and further from the main highways. And then we have 2 campers strung up just three miles outside of the spot where the last body was found. It's the same weapon and a 10 mile radius. You tell me that's not the same unsub."

The room fell quiet with the weight of Emily's words. Emily's eyes darted around the room to study their faces once again- everyone remained the same, only this time, JJ was trying to hide a small smile instead of a look of worry. It made Emily feel confident.

"Morgan, Prentiss, you'll go to the most recent crime scene," Hotch finally said, breaking the silence in the room. "Reid and I will stay here to work on the profile. JJ, why don't you head door-to-door with a deputy. Talk to the friends and family of the victims. See if they know anything we can use."

"Sir, yes sir," Morgan muttered as the team began to gather their bags.

* * *

They'd been trekking through Boise National Park for nearly fifteen minutes now, falling into step behind the park ranger and deputy as the two led them to the crime scene. Morgan had been quiet, mostly, making small talk about the case and building a profile as they walked. Emily knew that in order to successfully profile the team and deliver a report to Strauss by the end of the day, she'd have to fall into Morgan's good graces. Which to her looked like it would be easier said than done. But Emily Prentiss was always up for a challenge.

"So counterterrorism, huh?" Morgan commented, kicking a stick in the path as he walked. Emily was surprised; it was the first time he'd attempted to make conversation with her about her personal life.

"Yeah, counterterrorism. Same field office in the Midwest for 6 years," Emily reminisced with a half smile on her face. "What about you? You weren't always living it up in Quantico, were you?"

"I started in Chicago PD," Morgan replied absentmindedly. "Bomb squad. Then I did some undercover work, and landed a spot here a few years back."

The mention of undercover work made Emily twinge. She knew she wasn't technically undercover, but the way she'd been instructed to infiltrate the BAU begged otherwise to her conscience. But the memories of running coffee for her first 5 months in the field office made her remember _why _exactly she'd taken the job.

_No turning back now, Prentiss_, she reassured herself silently.

"You said yourself it's a hard unit to get into," she brought up, turning her head to the side to meet his dark brown eyes. "Was it the same when you joined?"

"This team has been through a lot," he shrugged, sticking his thumbs into his pockets. "Gideon was running the show back when I joined. He was a hell of a Unit Chief, that's for sure."

"Hotch seems like a hell of a Chief too," Emily said softly. She couldn't tell if Morgan liked reminiscing or hated it. The profiler was proving to be extremely hard to read.

"Look, Prentiss," Morgan finally said, stopping to turn and face her as the ranger and deputy continued to trudge down the steep hill, nearing a bend in the path. "I'm not one for small talk and formalities."

"Good," Emily replied promptly, squaring her shoulders off a bit more as she studied the other agent. "Neither am I."

"You're an ambassador's daughter."

"I am."

"Your transfer came through pretty quick. Almost no notice."

"It did."

"Your mother have anything to do with it?"

Emily's jaw clenched. Her entire life, everyone assumed that her mother had cheated her to where she needed to be. The truth was the opposite. Emily refused to let her family name gain her any extra credibility. She insisted on making a name for _herself_. By herself.

"No, she didn't," Emily said flatly, crossing her arms across her chest. "If you're implying that I'm only here because of my _mother_, then you're wrong. I almost changed my name when I joined the Bureau just because of how often I heard that _assumption_," she spat.

"I'm just keeping it real with you," Morgan retorted, his brow furrowing. "This team is my family. I'd easily give my life for anyone who sits on that jet with me," he proclaimed, taking a step forward. "I'm sure I seem like a hardass, but I have to look out for them."

"I get it," Emily admitted, raising an eyebrow. "But Morgan?"

He nodded at her.

"I'm here to look out for them, too." As genuinely as she said it, internally it felt like a lie.

"Well, then," he smiled, reaching out and extending his hand, warmly this time, with a hint of boyish swagger. "Welcome to the team."

Emily flashed a wide, nearly genuine smile as she accepted the handshake, meeting the profiler's eyes kindly for the first time.

The peaceful moment between the two agents lasted merely a minute before a blood curdling scream was heard just down the bend in the path.

* * *

"Well, that's a whole lot of nothing," the sheriff's deputy- Adams, he'd said?- sighed as he got into the driver's side of the patrol car. JJ carefully climbed into the passenger side, making sure the door didn't bang the curb as she shut it behind her.

"Small town like this, you'd think the neighbors would be more involved," she mused as he started the engine. They'd been canvassing the neighborhoods of the victims, trying to find any clues at all that would link these victims together. So far, none of the neighbors had seen anything out of the ordinary. JJ was beginning to think they'd exhausted all attempts. Even the families of the victims were less than helpful.

"You from a small town, blondie?"

"Our church and school shared a building," she joked as she pulled out her cell phone, making sure she hadn't missed an update from the team. "We actually-"

JJ was cut off by the static of the police radio crackling through loudly on the speakers.

"_Any nearby units, 10-33 at the Harrison crime scene in the forest. I repeat, any nearby units, 10-33 at the Harrison scene!"_

"The Harrison scene?" The deputy wrinkled his forehead, stepping on the gas.

"We have two federal agents out there," JJ said desperately, instantly grabbing her phone to let Hotch know. "Any casualties?"

_"We need a bus and backup, ASAP,_" the walkie crackled through again, the voice on the end sounding frantic. A few more unintelligible words popped through before the signal became purely static.

JJ wasted no time in typing her message to Hotch as the deputy turned on his lights and sped towards the location. She forced herself not to think about Emily laying on the ground, bleeding out as they drove in. She convinced herself that Emily would be fine, that the call for a medic was for the unsub, not for an agent.

_An agent. Morgan?_

Suddenly, all JJ could feel was guilt and worry. Guilt for not immediately thinking of the special agent and friend she'd known for years. And worry, because Emily's name hadn't just popped into her head first; no. Worry, because Emily's name hadn't left her mind for a while.

* * *

It all happened so fast.

"Prentiss, let's go!"

Morgan was yelling, one arm hooked under the park ranger's thin frame. He was motioning for Emily to join him, to grab the other side of her body.

Emily snapped out of her shocked daze. The deputy who'd accompanied them was laying flat on his back with three arrows to the chest. The ranger, however, only had one to the thigh, and it looked like if they could get her back to the truck, the wound wouldn't prove to be fatal.

"Hey, it's okay, we got you," Emily murmured softly to the younger woman as she scooped her hand under the girls' body, helping Morgan carry the ranger back onto the path. "Just stay still, all right? Let us help you," she panted, straining under the weight as they struggled to move uphill.

"Where- where are they?" The girl panted frantically, looking side to side, distrustful of the slightest movement.

"Don't worry about that, we're gonna get you home," Morgan promised, shifting more of her weight onto his side with a slight nod to Emily. "Prentiss, cover us. I got her."

Emily nodded, pulling her gun out of it's holster and making sure the safety was off. She whipped around as she felt something whiz by her cheek.

An arrow sunk into the ground just behind her, making its landing known with a soft thud.

"Go, go," Emily urged, pointing her gun in the direction the arrow came from and desperately trying to find the vantage point from where the unsub was shooting from. She couldn't see a thing. Worry began to pool in the pit of her stomach- they still had a ways to go to get back.

"Hey! Behind you!"

Two gunshots fired from up the path, and Emily's head snapped around, watching as a cop accompanied none other than the media liaison down the steep path. The gunshots hit their mark; in the distance a cry was heard.

"How many?" The cop who had fired yelled.

"Two," the ranger panted, almost inaudibly. Morgan shouted the response up to the approaching deputy and agent.

"Are you okay?" JJ gasped as she stumbled down the hill, resting her hand on Morgan's shoulder as he adjusted the ranger so the officer could take a good look at the wound.

"I'm fine, JJ," Morgan muttered, glancing behind him into the woods. "She's right, there's another one of them out there. We need to find this son of a bitch."

"I'll go. You take her back to the car," Emily gestured, bravely stepping downhill on the path.

"I'll go with you," JJ insisted, drawing her gun and moving towards Emily. Morgan watched her with narrowed eyes.

"Let's get her up to the car first, it's only a few hundred feet up that hill, and JJ doesn't even have a vest," he warned, not liking the idea of sending his friend out with the newest agent on the team. Emily could tell he was wary of letting her protect JJ.

"We can't lose him," JJ insisted again, the defiance clear in her eyes. Morgan sighed as his eyes flickered over to Emily's, waiting for her decision.

"JJ, if you're in, let's move," Emily decided, placing a hand on the small of the girl's back in a gesture that was meant to be comforting, but made the blonde shiver. Emily quickly removed her hand, not wanting to make the liaison uncomfortable. She didn't yet realize that wasn't why JJ had shivered.

"Alright, let's go, let's go," Morgan motioned to the trooper as he hauled the injured ranger into his arms again. JJ bounded downhill after Emily, heart racing as they raced towards the bend in the path.

"Shh, shh."

Emily paused, placing her hand out and grabbing JJ's arm to steady the girl who was stumbling to a stop next to her.

The path was empty and the only noise was the chirping of birds. In the distance, Emily could hear Morgan's voice carrying.

"Did we lose him?" JJ panted, brushing her hair behind her ears. Emily remained still, just listening.

"Prentiss! JJ!"

Emily immediately perked at the sound of Morgan's voice. She quickly ushered JJ uphill, staying a few steps behind the younger agent to cover her back. As they rounded the corner, they saw a tall man, dressed in bloodied camo, lying on the path in front of Morgan.

"Is that our unsub?" Emily raced over to Morgan's side, catching her breath as he checked for a pulse.

"No, no. I didn't fire a shot. This must've been the first one that the trooper hit," Morgan muttered, studying the way the bullet had lodged itself in the man's lower stomach. "He just stumbled down here and collapsed. Probably looking for his partner."

Emily squinted as she looked back up the hill; barely able to see the shape of the trooper that was carrying the park ranger. _At least we can tell her we've got half of the problem solved, _she thought to herself as she watched the distant shadows move.

"JJ. JJ! Behind you!"

Morgan yelled, drawing for his pistol, his eyes widened at something behind the two girls. Emily's head whipped around; eyes meeting a camo-clad figure about 50 feet away from them, stepping away from the brush with his bow drawn. He was on JJ's side, his arm stretching, ready to take the shot.

JJ saw it in slow motion. She gasped, faced with the realization that those innocent people had been killed- had been _hunted _with the same arrow that was pointing at her.

Luckily for her, Emily never missed a beat. She saw the unsub's arm twitch- a telltale sign. Even if it wasn't, she couldn't have taken the risk. In a split second, Emily had grabbed the blonde, pulling her into her arms and turning them so JJ was shielded behind her vest. Before Emily could move them to the side, she felt a sharp, piercing thud hit her lower back, causing her to cry out slightly. Her cry was muffled by an echoing gunshot.

"Emily? Are you hit? Emily?" JJ's voice sounded frantic, she was holding the brunette's shoulders with a vice grip as she struggled to see over the other girl's shoulder. All she caught a glimpse of was the unsub falling to the ground, still holding his bow. The next thing she caught a glimpse of was the very end of the orange arrow sticking out of the back of Emily's kevlar vest. The blonde automatically dropped her hands to the older agent's waist, trying to support her, one hand gently reaching around her back to try and feel how deep it had pierced her kevlar.

"I'm okay, I'll be okay," Emily reassured her, gently placing her hands on JJ's shoulders to catch her attention. As she said it, she winced, knowing that even if the vest had stopped most of the impact, the arrow had definitely pierced some skin.

"It went through your vest," JJ choked, her hand coming to rest on Emily's waist, eyes flickering up to meet the brunette's nervously. Emily had saved her _life. _Without a thought, she'd shielded her, held her, protected her.

"The vest took most of the impact. I'll be okay," Emily repeated, entranced by the way the blonde agent was staring at her. JJ's blue eyes were clouded over and filled with worry. Her face was tinged red, and her breathing was coming out in short bursts. She could feel the blonde's shaky hands still gripping her waist, probably tighter than was appropriate.

Actually, Emily realized, the way JJ was holding her- and how long she'd been doing it for- was probably not at all appropriate.

"Prentiss, don't move," Morgan grunted, coming up behind the two and squinting at the arrow. This made JJ step back suddenly, as if seeing Morgan made her aware of what she was doing.

"Take your vest off," he instructed, and Emily gingerly unbuckled the sides, wincing at the pain from the twisting movement. Wordlessly, JJ's hands took over, undoing the last buckle and loosening the strap. Morgan bent down to look at the wound from the side, sighing when he saw that the arrow had indeed just _barely_ embedded itself in Emily's side.

"Take it out," Emily ordered through gritted teeth. She knew it wasn't deep enough to be fatal, and she was probably bleeding as is.

"You sure?" Morgan asked, shooting her a sympathetic look.

"You don't need another girl to carry up that hill," she answered sarcastically, trying not to think of how much it was going to sting. With Emily's encouragement, Morgan shrugged and slowly, carefully, pulled at the base of the arrow until it slid out of the shallow wound.

"It wasn't that deep. You were lucky," he commented, helping Emily fully remove the kevlar now that she was able to. "Actually, JJ's the lucky one. She wouldn't have had a vest to block it."

Emily knew he was right, but didn't say anything. She knew the blonde didn't get out in the field much and couldn't help but feel it was partially her fault in the first place for encouraging it.

"I'll make the call and let Hotch know," JJ said softly, breaking the silence. She excused herself to move up the hill, needing a minute just to breathe.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Morgan turned back to Emily, a softer look on his chiseled face.

"You saved her life."

"You would've done the same thing," Emily replied, tucking her loose hair behind her ear as she gazed up at the taller agent.

"I know." Morgan opened his mouth as if he had something more to say, then closed it, looking back at the blonde, then turning to Emily again, this time with a genuine smile.

"Like I said before. Welcome to the team, Emily."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Apologies for the long wait, but on the bright side, we finally start to see Jemily getting closer this chapter! **

* * *

Strauss's office always felt uninviting, but Emily was convinced that somehow the walls had gotten even darker and more dismal since the last time she was here. She played with her thumbs impatiently, waiting for Strauss to finish her call so that she could brief Emily on her first case with the BAU.

Three floors down was the bullpen. Emily's desk was there, her things were there, her _team _was there. And here Emily was, literally going over their heads to Strauss's office.

But it wasn't like Emily didn't know what she was getting into when she took the job.

"Agent Prentiss, good to see you," Strauss greeted her as she entered the room, breaking Emily out of her thoughts.

"Chief Strauss," Emily replied curtly, standing up to shake her hand as she came around her desk. Both women took a seat on opposite sides of Strauss's polished, neat desk.

"So you've finished your first case with the unit. How do you feel?"

"Good, ma'm," Emily answered honestly, crossing her legs and folding her hands over her knees. "We weren't able to bring the Mulford brothers in alive, but we were able to save the lives of both the ranger and the officer who were attacked in the forest," she began, but Strauss cut her off.

"I wasn't looking for a debrief of the _case_, agent," she interrupted, a curious look on her stoic face. "How do you feel about the _team _so far?"

_Right. _

"I'm not very close with them yet," Emily answered promptly, forcing herself to look unbothered by the conversation. "I've spent some time with Agent Morgan and Agent Jareau so far."

"Have you looked through Agent Jareau's file?"

"Yes ma'am," Emily replied, vividly remembering the blurry pictures of JJ and the mystery girl in the base camp. "She hasn't mentioned her undercover work so far."

"No one on her team knows about the mission," Strauss informed her. "It was strictly confidential. Even Agent Hotchner was told she was transferred to the state department."

"I noticed that the... oversights on the terrorism cases only began happening after Agent Jareau returned from her assignment," Emily pointed out, laying the case file down on Strauss's desk to show her the dates. "The cases that she rejected all came through the Chicago office as well, so it's safe to say the terrorist group's roots lie in Illinois. Did Agent Jareau ever do any kind of work in the Chicago field office?"

Strauss sighed, shutting the file and pushing it back across the desk to Emily. "Agent Prentiss, what I need you to understand is that I've already gone over all the files and all the connections we have records of. I didn't bring you on this team so you could make your assumptions based off of records."

Emily felt her cheeks burn. She hoped it didn't show.

"You're only a few years older than Agent Jareau. You're a woman, so she'll be more likely to trust and confide in you. You have FBI background which makes you appear committed. She has no reason _not _to befriend you. I brought you on this team to investigate her private life. I need to know everything that we _don't _have records on. Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'm," Emily replied flatly, feeling her stomach knot up.

"I expect you'll have more information the next time we meet?"

"Yes, ma'm," Emily repeated, standing up and gathering the file with her.

"Have a nice day, Agent."

* * *

"Ooh, Prentiss, getting sent to the principal's office," Morgan jeered as Emily entered the bullpen, spinning around in his chair with one of those award-winning smiles.

"Is everything okay, Emily? Strauss usually doesn't get too nosy," Spencer interjected, his eyebrows furrowed with a trace of worry. As per usual, the young doctor was leaning awkwardly on the edge of Morgan's desk.

"Everything's fine," Emily lied as she slung her bag down next to her desk, spinning her chair to face the boys and taking a seat. "Just onboarding stuff. She wanted to see how I'm adjusting to the transfer."

"How are you adjusting to the transfer?"

Emily hadn't even noticed Hotch approach behind her, but his voice made her instantly spin around, straightening in her chair. The Unit Chief did still make her nervous. She felt like he'd be able to see right through her.

"Well," she managed to reply, smiling reassuringly at him. He simply nodded in response before summoning the group to the conference room. As usual, they had a case.

* * *

"So this is home sweet home for the next few days?" Morgan asked, whistling as he looked around the modern, spacious hotel. The team was currently standing in the lobby, bags in hand. Hotch and JJ were at the front desk checking the group in.

"Not half bad," Emily commented, taking a moment to drink in the view through the front doors. This case had landed them smack dab in Miami, Florida, and while this was one of the smaller hotels in the city, it still beat a cheap motel in a small town by a long shot.

"Don't get too excited," JJ warned the group as she approached them, key cards in hand. "Hotel's overbooked."

"What do you mean overbooked?" Reid argued. It was no secret that the youngest profiler liked his privacy.

"It's spring break weekend," JJ shrugged, shuffling the key cards in her hands. "They said there's nothing they can do unless they have a cancellation. As of now, we've got 3 rooms."

"I am not sharing with Reid again," Morgan argued, rubbing the back of his head. "It's spring break weekend, man!"

"And you're here for work," Hotch cut him off, raising an eyebrow. Emily could've sworn she saw a slight smirk on the older man's face. "Morgan, you'll room with me. JJ, Prentiss, do you mind?"

Emily didn't realize he was actually asking them until JJ answered with a prompt, "that's fine," not seeming to think a thing of it.

"Reid, you get the honors this time around," Hotch finished, offering the young doctor a small smile as he patted his shoulder before giving Morgan a look that said 'behave'.

"Alright, boys," JJ sighed, handing Hotch and Reid the packets with the key cards inside of them. "Detective Johnson said he'd expect us in an hour, so just get settled in for now."

"Yes, mother," Morgan teased, rubbing JJ's shoulder as he slung his bag over his shoulder and headed to the elevator. JJ turned around and smiled at Emily. It was the first time they'd been alone all day; the first time they'd been alone since Emily was oh so kindly reminded of what she was really doing at the BAU. It made Emily feel guilty to be alone with her. But realistically she knew there was no better way to do her job.

"Room 327. Ocean view," JJ joked as she started towards the elevators with the brunette.

"3 floors and they still get overbooked? Must be some spring break," Emily muttered as she followed the blonde, shouldering her go bag with a wince.

"Emily, are you okay?" JJ noticed the way Emily seemed to cringe whenever she put weight on her left side. "Did you ever go to the doctor?"

"No, but I'll be fine, it's mostly just a surface wound," Emily lied as she got into the elevator, holding the door open for JJ. "It got better over the weekend."

JJ looked skeptical, eyeing the older agent suspiciously. "You spent your weekend resting in bed?"

Emily was considering lying to the blonde again and convincing her she was good to go, but the twinkle in her eye made Emily realize that JJ had already seen right through her. The two agents began laughing, and Emily hated how natural it felt.

"You got me," Emily conceded as they made it to their floor, stepping out of the elevator as the doors slid open with a 'ding'. "No, I didn't rest much, but I also didn't make it worse, so that counts for something."

"You could've at least seen a doctor, maybe gotten stitches," JJ quipped. "I had a feeling Emily Prentiss doesn't spend her weekends lying in bed."

"No, of course not. I lay on the couch," Emily teased, feeling a smile spread across her face as she heard the blonde in front of her laugh again. JJ's laugh sounded heavenly; the way her eyes sparkled and a wide smile spread across her face made the agent seem like she'd stepped out of a picture-perfect Hallmark movie. She could see why all her peers thought so highly of the media liaison.

"Well, here's us," JJ gestured, swiping her key card and pushing the door open slowly. The room was nice; a little small, but it looked clean. There was a large window in front of the two beds, shedding some natural light into the room. Suddenly Emily was filled with a wave of dread. This was her and _JJ's _room. She'd be spending the night with the other agent.

Emily didn't know why it made her so nervous to think about. She decided it was because she was still anxious from her conversation with Strauss. _The best way to fix that is to do my job,_ she told herself as she slung her go bag on the bed nearest the door. _This is the perfect opportunity to really talk to her. _

"You always sleep near the door?" JJ commented as she made her way to the farther bed, setting her bag down on the end of the mattress.

"Oh, I don't know, actually," Emily shrugged as she kicked her shoes off, deciding to let her feet rest for a while. "This is the first time I've had to share a room on a case. We didn't travel much at my old field office."

"Well, I've had to share plenty, even sometimes with the boys," JJ admitted with a laugh. "They always take the bed near the door too. This is almost habit now," she gestured.

"It's a nice room," Emily commented as she sat down on the side of her bed awkwardly, so as not to disturb the healing wound on her back. She could feel JJ's eyes on her again, like they had been in the elevator.

"Are you sure you're okay?" JJ asked,worry creasing her forehead. "You really should've gotten that looked at."

"Really, it's fine," Emily convinced her, gazing up at those perfect blue eyes as JJ came to stand in front of her. "If it gets any worse I'll get it looked at. I promise."

"Can I see?"

JJ looked calm, she looked like a friend just trying to help. For some reason, it made Emily tense up. She probably did need to get it looked at, though.

"Yeah." Slowly, Emily stood up, turning her back to the blonde as she pulled her shirt a bit, the material resting just underneath her breasts. For some reason, the cool air in the hotel room struck her exposed skin as if it was freezing. Behind her, Jennifer sucked in a breath, her eyes softening at the decently sized scar that splayed itself on the surface of Emily's lower back.

"It looks irritated," JJ murmured, unconsciously reaching out to trace the raised wound. Honestly, she hadn't even realized she was touching the older agent until she felt Emily flinch under her fingers. Immediately JJ drew back, afraid that she'd hurt the other woman.

"Sorry," she apologized, tucking her hands in her pockets as Emily's head whipped to the side, brown eyes meeting blue.

"It's okay, just a little sore," Emily admitted, turning around again to face the younger agent. "Seriously, Jennifer, I'm fine."

_Why did her full name have to sound so good rolling off of Emily's lips? _JJ tried to push the thought, and the feelings associated with it, to the back of her mind.

"I feel responsible," JJ admitted. Saying the words out loud felt nice; they'd been nagging at her conscience for the better part of the day. She'd never expected the newest member of the team to take an arrow for her without even thinking. Ever since it had happened, JJ hadn't quite forgotten the feeling of being wrapped up in Emily's arms, safe and shielded from the horror of their job.

"Don't," Emily said softly as she tucked her shirt back into her jeans. "I'm just glad you didn't get hurt."

"You didn't even flinch," JJ blurted, unable to stop herself. "When it happened. I mean, you were out of range, he wasn't going to hit anywhere near you. You could've moved in the opposite direction, but you moved towards the arrow like it was nothing."

"You didn't have a vest. What was there to think about?" Emily quipped with a childish smile, trying to make light of the tense conversation.

"Yourself, for starters. Bulletproof vests aren't known to be as effective when it comes to stab attempts, or arrows, evidently," JJ joked halfheartedly, motioning to Emily's side.

"You sound a little like Reid." Emily wrinkled her nose.

"I'll pretend not to be offended by that." JJ laughed, biting down on her lip as she gazed at Emily, her stomach fluttering at the way the brunette's eyes pierced into her own. "I suppose I'm trying to say thank you."

Opening her mouth to tell JJ that she didn't need to thank her, that it was part of the job, Emily paused. Truthfully, it wasn't just part of her job. It was this incessant need to protect the other girl, whether Emily acknowledged it or not.

So Emily didn't say anything. Instead, she reached forward and rubbed JJ's shoulder, a soft smile gracing her dark features. JJ's breath caught in her throat at the feeling of Emily's comforting hand on her arm. Subconsciously she wondered what Emily's arms would feel like around her again, in the solace of their hotel room instead of in the field next to an unsub.

The two stood like that for over a minute, studying each other. Every fiber in Emily's body was on high alert. The way JJ was looking at her made her feel something. Something she hadn't felt in a while, and something she definitely wasn't ready to feel again. _Especially _for a coworker. Especially for her _target. _

In that moment, although she tried to deny it, Emily knew she was fucked.

* * *

_"Hey, you."_

_JJ squealed in surprise when she felt two thin arms encircle her waist from behind her, already knowing from the voice who they belonged to. _

_"Sarah!" __JJ laughed, clasping her hands over the other girl's and leaning her head back against the firm shoulder. "Shouldn't you be debriefing with Strauss and Williams?"_

_"Strauss is running late. I've got fifteen minutes, twenty if we're lucky," the mystery girl purred, moving them farther into the canvas tent, pressing a quick kiss to JJ's earlobe before starting to trail the kisses down her neck. _

_"We shouldn't. Hanson is meeting me here any minute," JJ faltered, her eyes falling shut despite her best efforts to keep them open. _

_"Well what Hanson doesn't know happened won't hurt him," Sarah teased, placing a much firmer kiss to the nape of JJ's neck, one hand sliding off of JJ's waist while the other began drawing circles across her stomach, playing with the belt on JJ's tactical pants._

_"That wouldn't be very professional of you, would it?" JJ joked, smirking to herself. She frowned when the light kisses stopped, and Sarah's hands withdrew from her body. _

_"Sarah?" She said softly, beginning to turn around when she felt the cold metal of a pistol press to the back of her neck. She froze as she felt Sarah cock the gun back, screwing her eyes shut as her body began to shake. _

"Please don't. Don't do this. Stop!"

JJ's mumbling had turned to shouting. The blonde was writhing around in the thin hotel sheets, a sweaty mess caught up in her own nightmares.

Earlier that night, the two agents had finally stumbled back to their room, exhausted after a 20 hour stretch at the local PD office. Hotch had insisted that they all try to get some rest before they investigated any further, knowing that his agents would always push themselves to the max if they weren't stopped. So Emily and JJ had dragged themselves through the door, JJ going straight for her bed as Emily headed towards the shower. Even though the older agent was completely beat, she still felt uncomfortable sleeping in the same room as the media liaison. She couldn't pinpoint what exactly made her feel so on edge, but the more she focused on how she felt, the less she enjoyed the feelings. Of course, Emily had then taken an extra long shower to ensure that JJ would be asleep by the time she got out. Like clockwork, when Emily had finally dried off and thrown on a loose t-shirt and shorts, JJ was already curled up in her bed, sleeping soundly.

_She deserved it,_ Emily thought with a small smile as she walked over to her own bed, unable to take her eyes off of the sleeping blonde. She looked so peaceful. Like the stress of their job couldn't get to her here. It spurred something inside of Emily. Instead of using her time before bed to update Strauss on the events of the day, on _every _conversation she'd had with JJ, she used her time to dig into their case. Emily vowed to solve it before anyone else got hurt. Not just to save lives, but to take that stress of the case away from JJ. She wanted to see the media liaison relaxed like this more often.

Researching the case was why Emily was still awake when JJ began to stur. This caught the brunette's attention; especially when only moments later JJ began shouting and flailing in her sleep, clearly anxious about something in her dream. Quickly the blonde grew louder and louder, making Emily afraid that the rest of the team would wake up from the noise. In a desperate attempt to quiet the younger girl, Emily did the only thing that felt natural- she moved to Jennifer's bed and sat down next to the frantic blonde, gently shaking her and trying to pull her out of her nightmare.

"Stop. Sarah!" JJ's eyes flashed open, staring right at Emily, but she didn't seem to register what she was seeing. She was still caught in her own nightmare. JJ's hands came up to wrap around Emily's shoulders, clinging to them furiously as she pulled the older agent down into her, breathing heavily as she kept repeating that one command; "stop".

Emily didn't know what to do. She let herself be pulled down, awkwardly trying to land so that she wasn't on top of JJ, instead settling to the side of her. It didn't really matter, though. Jennifer's arms were wrapped so tightly around Emily that it didn't leave an inch of space between the two. Emily could feel the younger girl still trembling; still mumbling incoherent words into Emily's neck.

Tentatively, Emily let her hands settle gently around JJ's slim form, resting reassuringly on her back and rubbing in large circles, trying to bring the younger agent out of her thoughts. Emily screwed her eyes shut as JJ continued to rock in her arms, trying not to think about how _good _it felt to hold her like this. It felt right; it felt like she belonged there.

Emily didn't want it to feel right. In fact, the very idea of it sent a pang of anxiety through her chest. _This could ruin everything. _

It was no secret that Emily was interested in girls; it was just something that hadn't come up with her new team yet. That being said, Emily tended to keep her work and personal life separate; rule one for her was never fall for a coworker. In this case, Emily retroactively decided that rule one should be 'never fall for someone you're secretly investigating'. It would seem that both rules were suddenly proving difficult to follow. And the problem had presented itself to Emily at the worst of times.

"Shh, you're okay," Emily murmured, absentmindedly running her fingers through JJ's hair in an attempt to calm her down. The blonde had stilled a bit, draping herself over the older agent, her head buried in Emily's neck and her arms still wrapped around Emily's toned frame. One of her legs fell in between Emily's, eliciting a small sigh from the younger girl. Her whimpers and cries were quiet now; and her body had stopped trembling. Emily assumed she'd fallen back asleep, or at least had been shaken from her nightmare.

"It's okay. You're safe," Emily whispered softly, continuing to lightly rub JJ's back as she ran her fingers through that long blonde hair.

"Thank you," JJ murmured into Emily's neck, and it was then that Emily realized that she was indeed awake. Nervously, Emily's hands stilled, although she still held the blonde close.

There was a heavy silence between the two girls for a few minutes. Emily didn't respond to JJ, and her body had tensed up almost automatically. On the other hand, JJ only snuggled in closer, breathing deeply and sniffling every once in a while.

As Emily began to relax under JJ's weight, the moment between them began to feel serene instead of uncomfortable. Feeling JJ pressed against her so tightly grounded Emily in a way she couldn't comprehend. It also gave her the courage to speak up again.

"What was it about?"

JJ was quiet for a moment, debating whether or not to answer her. Then, she leaned up a bit, resting on her elbow although her lower body was still draped over Emily's. The older agent could barely make out her silhouette hovering over her on the soft mattress.

"Nobody knows."

"You were saying a name," Emily brought up softly.

"Oh." JJ paused, swallowing hard. Emily could tell a part of her desperately wanted to talk about it, but whether she showed it or not, the media liaison was guarded, too.

"Sarah, I think?"

"Yeah," JJ finally said, sitting up and pushing herself off of Emily. For a split second, Emily wanted to pull her closer again. She chastised herself for the mere thought.

"Her name was Sarah," JJ continued, drawing her knees into her chest as she stared at the wall, looking like she was a million miles away. "We met on an assignment."

"Where?" Emily prompted, sitting up to mirror the blonde's position.

"It's, uh, not important," JJ faltered, playing with her fingers awkwardly as she cast her gaze down, visibly upset by the conversation. Emily realized that this assignment must have been Jennifer's confidential mission. _No wonder nobody knows,_ she thought.

"Okay," Emily intervened, letting JJ off the hook. "But Sarah was?"

JJ didn't answer that directly. Emily made note of it almost immediately.

"She's someone who hurt me very badly," was all JJ said. Her voice sounded choked up. Emily could tell she really didn't talk about this. A part of Emily felt elated that JJ trusted her enough to share it with her. The other part of Emily felt so guilty she could vomit- if only JJ knew that she really shouldn't trust her.

"Was she your friend?"

"I thought she was more than that," JJ said shortly, and Emily's mind went blank. Was Jennifer _gay_? Did it matter? It shouldn't, not to the profile. It didn't affect her work in any way, it didn't pertain to the terrorist cases, right? Should it matter?

_Why _was it all Emily could think about now?

"I'm sorry," was all Emily could say. Her stomach was completely knotted up. She felt completely overwhelmed with guilt. This seemed too personal, too intimate for JJ to be trusting her with.

_Nobody knows._

But Emily knew.

"I'm sorry," Emily repeated, but only she really knew what she was saying sorry for.

* * *

After JJ had opened up to Emily that night, she'd worried that things might be uncomfortable between them afterwards. After all, she'd told the newest BAU member (who happened to be a girl), that she was interested in women. Honestly JJ hadn't even mean to say it, but she did. She could count on one hand how many people knew that about her. Emily now happened to be one of them.

Luckily, it had only brought the two girls closer. A month had passed since that case, and the girls had spent more and more time together with every passing day. Emily had gradually been accepted as one of their own; after her stunt in the woods, Morgan had treated her like a sister, and Reid began bonding with Emily over chess and nerdy movie facts. JJ hadn't known how much of an inner nerd Emily really was, but she had to admit, she found it adorable. On their flight home, Morgan had caught her smiling at Emily and Reid as they played chess, with a dreamy look in her eyes. He'd made a comment about JJ and Reid, sitting in a tree, unknowing that JJ's eyes had been focused solely on the _female_ brunette who was deeply engrossed in the game. Since then, Emily and JJ had drifted together. On plane rides or car rides they always managed to find a seat next to each other, and they'd even had to share a hotel room again for a weekend. This time, JJ hadn't broken down in the other girl's arms, but she had to admit she wished she could find a way back into those arms anyways. Emily was truly beautiful, even though JJ tried to avert her eyes every time she felt them burning too long.

Today happened to be one of those times.

The whole team was packed into one black car, save for Hotch. He was driving in a seperate car, apparently he would be picking up BAU legend David Rossi on the way to their newest case. Needless to say, everyone was elated to meet the founder of the BAU- Reid especially. He'd been chattering about it to Morgan the entire drive from the jet to the precinct, turning down the radio every time Morgan tried to turn it up as he drove. Fortunately, JJ had been seated next to Emily in the back, giving them a little space from the boys up front. _Unfortunately_, everyone had piled their go-bags onto the seat next to the rear driver's side door, forcing JJ to sit in the middle, her leg pressed against Emily's. She tried not to think about how close they were sitting; about the way her body jolted into Emily's every time they hit a pothole. Secretly, she was almost thankful for Morgan's reckless driving.

"I'm sorry, Em," JJ chuckled awkwardly as yet another extremely large pothole sent her flailing against Emily again, having to actually brace herself on the other woman so she didn't completely lose her balance. "The roads here are something else."

"Well, that's Chicago for you," Emily teased, folding her hands in her lap as she felt JJ's hand move from her leg, secretly missing the contact. "You guys must have worked a few cases down here by now, huh? Morgan seems to know the roads, he's driving fast enough."

"Morgan grew up here, silly," JJ reminded her, absentmindedly playing with a piece of her own hair. "But yeah, we've worked a few cases down here. The local PD doesn't like us too much, but they need us."

Emily just nodded in response. Truthfully, she'd already known that, just like she'd known exactly how many cases the BAU had worked in Chicago over the years. The only reason she'd asked JJ was in hopes she'd reveal something about the work she'd done with the locals. After all, nearly all of the terrorism cases that JJ was linked to came out of the Chicago field office, and had been shut down as soon as JJ had gotten her hands on them. Emily's gut told her there was a reason for it.

But she realized at this point, she wasn't trying to pin it on JJ, like Strauss wanted. Emily wanted to figure out what was really happening, because she was almost convinced that Jennifer would never willingly hurt another person like Strauss had suggested. Having to betray JJ like this had been eating away at Emily. She wanted nothing more than to get answers; even if she would have to begrudgingly turn the information right over to Strauss.

Emily wanted answers; because she was holding out hope that JJ wasn't what they said she was.

* * *

As they walked into the Chicago PD precinct, JJ was hit with an overwhelming truckload of memories, so vivid they made it hard to breathe. She swallowed heavily as she took a look around the busy office, people talking on the phones, going over files, chatting aimlessly like it was just another day. Her eyes flickered to the closed door towards the back of the room, getting a glimpse of the office behind the glass pane. The walls were a different color, but it did nothing to erase the memories that office brought to her.

JJ hadn't realized how hard it was going to be to work this case until she'd saw that _damn _office.

Unconsciously, she found herself drifting to stand next to Emily, their shoulders brushing lightly. Emily turned to smile at the blonde, but paused when she saw the distant look in the media liaison's usually bright blue eyes. JJ's gaze seemed focused on the office in the back of the room, and Emily made a mental note to ask her about that the next time they were in private. Maybe that office had something to do with the cases JJ had turned down a year ago.

"You okay?" Emily settled on asking for the time being.

"I'm fine," JJ assured her, though she could tell her friend could see right through it. "There's just been some tough cases here."

Emily accepted her answer with a nod, but the profiler could easily tell JJ was still hiding something. Graciously, she let the subject go, considering they were in a public place, and instead gently ran her hand down the media liaison's arm, a subtle reminder that she wasn't alone. The gesture didn't go unnoticed, and JJ leaned into Emily's touch, smiling back at her gratefully.

"Agent Jareau?"

JJ's head whipped back around and Emily's hand flew off of her shoulder like it was on fire. Both girls were somewhat aware that their reactions made them look guiltier than their actions did, but there wasn't enough time to profile _everything_.

"Detective Gordinski, great to see you again," JJ announced, reaching out to shake his hand firmly. "You remember Dr. Reid and Agent Morgan, this is Agent Prentiss here," she gestured.

"Always a pleasure," he greeted them, his face solemn as ever. "Too bad it had to be under these circumstances."

"SSA Hotchner and Rossi will be joining us later on, they had a bit of a longer drive," Jennifer informed him. "In the meantime, I'd love to get started."

"Right this way," the detective gestured, and Emily noticed how even as JJ walked the other way, she still glanced at the office over her shoulder.

* * *

As usual, the BAU team set up their camp in the conference room, pulling up a whiteboard to the table and sprawling haphazardly around the room as they began to look over case files regarding the pattern the locals had noticed. Emily was becoming so deeply engrossed in her papers that she barely even noticed JJ gently sinking into the chair right beside her.

"Hey," JJ said softly, crossing her feet under the table as she lay her paperwork on the table, preparing herself for the onslaught of violence she was sure lay inside the file.

"Hey yourself," Emily replied, shutting the file that was in her lap, her feet kicked up comfortably onto the conference table and lazily twitching back and forth. "You look tired."

It was true, the blonde's eyes looked a little duller than usual, and the way JJ even _moved _seemed like she was incredibly exhausted.

"I am," JJ confessed, she was both emotionally and physically tired at this point. She knew it was going to be a long week down in Chicago, but she found solace in the fact that she was sharing it with Emily.

"Hang on," Emily said simply, kicking her feet off the table and swinging them to the ground, getting up quickly and heading over to the corner of the room. JJ fought a smile as she watched her friend pick up the coffee mug along with two cups.

"How do you take it?" Emily called from across the room, her head turning back to meet JJ's gaze. She made note of the soft smile on the blonde's face, the weary look in her eyes fading by the second. JJ's smile was contagious; immediately, Emily began smiling too.

"Um, two sugars, one cream," JJ replied, kicking her feet up and resting her feet on the table like Emily had done previously.

"Two sugars, one cream," Emily repeated as she brought the two coffee cups over to the table, handing JJ her cup and setting her own on the table. "You look relaxed now, that's good."

"As relaxed as a chair with this little back support can make you," JJ joked as she took a sip of her coffee. She choked on the sip she took when she felt Emily's hands slide up her shoulders, resting on her neck and gently rubbing the tense muscles.

"Are you okay?" Emily instantly stepped back from her position behind the other girl, suddenly worried she'd pushed too far. Honestly she didn't know what had come over her to be so bold.

Except she did know, she knew that JJ was hurting, and somehow she wanted to take that pain away. She also knew that JJ was addicting, and it was terribly difficult to keep away from her. Every time they touched, even accidentally, Emily felt like her breath had been cut short.

"I'm fine, I just didn't expect that," JJ admitted honestly, tilting her head back in her seat to meet Emily's eyes above her. "It feels good. You don't have to stop."

Emily swallowed hard as she locked eyes with the younger girl, her hands coming up to firmly massage JJ's shoulders again, feeling the supple skin of her neck right along the line of her blouse. JJ's eyes fell shut and her head lulled forward with the motions of Emily's hands, clearly enjoying the way she was being touched.

As JJ relaxed under her touch, Emily tried to think about the case; tried to take her mind away from the attractive blonde in front of her, _under her_, but not in the way she wanted. _Fuck_, Emily thought, her heart racing as she tried to force her thoughts away from touching JJ in a more inappropriate setting.

JJ, on the other hand, was desperately trying not to let out a moan as Emily's hands worked her. She could tell that Emily was deep in thought and getting deeper by the second; her hands were digging into JJ's muscles like she was agitated. It felt amazing, and once Emily's hands trailed up to her neck, rubbing circles around the tight muscles, JJ couldn't help but shiver and let out a sigh, her hand coming up to rest over one of Emily's, unsure if she was asking her to stop or for more.

Emily's hands paused, and before either girl could say anything, the door opposite them swung open.

As Agent Hotchner and Agent Rossi strolled in, Emily stood frozen, her mind moving in slow motion. For some reason, she felt like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. JJ's hand still enveloped hers, although it had tensed noticeably.

"Rossi, this is Agent Prentiss and Agent Jareau," Hotch introduced flatly, his eyes flickering over the two girls curiously, but not missing a beat.

This snapped Emily out of her thoughts, and she instantly withdrew from JJ, crossing the table to extend her hand to the newest member of the BAU. "Agent Rossi, it is such an honor. We've heard so much about you."

"Ah, don't believe a word this one says," Rossi joked as he nodded at Hotch, shaking Emily's hand warmly. He watched the blonde agent arise from her seat to greet him as well, naturally falling into line behind Prentiss. In the back of his mind, he wondered when the bureau had become so accepting of workplace relationships.

"Jennifer Jareau, but you can call me JJ," JJ instructed as she introduced herself, shaking his hand with a smile. "We're so glad to have you back on the team, sir."

"I'm glad to be back," he chuckled, eyeing Hotch with a smirk. "A lot has changed around here, huh?"

"Yes it has," Hotch agreed, unaware of what Rossi was assuming.

The four agents turned around when they heard a knock on the open door. Another detective was standing in the doorway to greet them.

"Sorry to interrupt, agents, but Detective Gordinski is ready for you in his office," the younger man said, turning around to beckon them to follow him, before stopping in his tracks and spinning around. "Wait, JJ?"

Emily frowned at the casual nickname escaping the detective's mouth, glancing at JJ for some type of explanation. The blonde looked like she was in a daze.

"I can't believe you're here, now. I can't believe you didn't come by after Sarah died," the detective said angrily, rubbing his forehead like he couldn't believe it was happening. "Not a call, not a text, nothing."

"Detective Davis, I-" JJ began to say, but he cut her off.

"Don't _Detective _me, we know each other better than that," he spat, shaking his head furiously. "You know, I can't do this right now."

He spun around and stormed down the hallway, muttering something under his breath as he went. Emily's mind was racing, the girl JJ had told her about, _Sarah_, had _died? _Was she an agent? A detective? She was obviously based out of Chicago, which is where the homegrown terrorist group had been as well. Was there a connection?

As a shaky breath broke the awkward silence in the room, Emily realized she was focusing on all the wrong things.

She came up behind JJ, who looked shaken, her eyes watery and red. Without saying a thing, she gently placed a hand on JJ's back, letting her know she was there.

"Prentiss, Rossi, give us the room, please." Hotch's voice was low and stern.

Faltering, Emily took a step back and nodded her head, drawing away from the blonde. Before she was completely out of reach, she felt JJ reach out and squeeze her arm, a weak smile on her face as if to thank Emily in their own little way.

Emily followed Rossi out the door, and watched through the glass pane as the small smile on JJ's face was washed away by tears.

* * *

**Let me know what you thought!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Woohoo, less than two weeks between updates... a new personal best, lol! Enjoy!**

* * *

The noise of the Chicago PD's bullpen was loud enough to drown anyone out of their thoughts, except for Emily Prentiss. As she poked through the mountain of paperwork on her makeshift desk, her mind roamed over the scenario that had just played out over and over again.

_Who was Detective Davis?_

_Who was Sarah? _

_Why did she die?_

It definitely explained how strange JJ had been acting all morning, but of course now Emily only had _more_ questions. As hard as she tried to focus on the case, JJ was all she could think about.

"Coffee?"

Emily looked up, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as she was faced with a styrofoam cup held by the one and only David Rossi.

"Thank you," she accepted graciously as he took a seat on the chair beside her, the two agents sharing the small desk for the time being. They'd move back to the conference room as soon as Hotch and JJ finished up.

"I feel like I should reintroduce myself," Rossi said with a dry laugh, watching the younger agent carefully. "David Rossi."

"It really is a pleasure, sir," Emily insisted as she set the half empty cup down on the desk. "You're a legend here, but you already knew that."

Rossi chuckled in agreement, but he wasn't as interested in small talk as he was in the scene that had just unfolded in the conference room.

"So, Prentiss," he began, taking a sip out of his own cup of coffee. "What was that earlier, with JJ?"

"Honestly, your guess is as good as mine," Emily replied shortly, playing with her pen just to occupy her hands. "They must have history."

With a frown, Rossi leaned back in his chair. He would've thought that JJ's _girlfriend_ of all people would know who that man was. "She never mentioned it to you?"

"Why would she?" Emily replied, shooting him a strange look. Was he onto her? Did he know about her arrangement with Strauss?

Casually interrupting the miscommunication between the agents, Agent Hotchner strode up to the two and cleared his throat. As soon as he had their attention, he spoke.

"Agent Jareau will be working from the motel for the day, she'll rejoin us tomorrow. I've already spoken with the head detective on the case. There won't be a problem."

"Good to know," Rossi shrugged, raising his eyebrows.

Emily just nodded quietly in agreement, and willed herself to focus on the case. After all, she _did _want to help the children involved; she did want to find the man responsible for so many abductions over the years.

But throughout the course of the morning, she found herself looking around the room, naturally expecting to see the flash of blonde hair and the bright smile that always accompanied JJ. Emily found it odd when they all piled into the SUV to not have the younger blonde sitting pressed against her, thigh to thigh, so close she could easily smell her faint perfume. While conducting interviews with the families and neighbors, Emily's focus was torn between the case and between the blonde in the back of her mind.

It was torture, and Emily refused to think about _why _it was so pressing.

When Emily's phone rang, she lit up; she'd begun to accompany the sound of her phone with JJ, since it was so often JJ who called her now. However, her face fell when she read Strauss's name on the screen.

"Prentiss."

_"How are things in Chicago, Emily?"_

Emily swallowed. Just like that, she was brought back to reality- away from the world she'd begun to create, where JJ was innocent, and safe, and-

_"Agent Prentiss?"_

"They're fine, Ma'm," Emily replied quickly, breaking herself away from her thoughts. Steeling herself, she exhaled before continuing her sentence. "This area seems to be tough for Jennifer."

_"Chicago, you mean?"_

"Yes," Emily continued, rubbing her temple. "She's been distant since we arrived, and this morning a detective exploded at her. He recognized her, and accused her of practically abandoning him after a woman by the name of Sarah died."

_"Was this Detective Davis?"_

Emily was surprised that Strauss was able to figure that out so quickly. "Yes," she said with a frown. "Did Hotch report back to you as well?"

A long sigh was heard over the phone before Strauss spoke again.

_"Agent Sarah Davis was Detective Davis's older sister. She worked in the Chicago field office, and was killed in the field about 6 months ago."_

"Oh," Emily said softly. She already knew Sarah and JJ had been close- no wonder Sarah's brother knew JJ as well. She wondered if Strauss was aware of their relationship, but for some reason she felt uncomfortable bringing it up.

_"Has Agent Jareau mentioned anything about her to you?"_

"She, uh," Emily paused, shutting her eyes again as she forced herself to stop sympathizing for JJ, and just _do her job. _"Yes, she has. I believe they were in a relationship," Emily admitted shamefully.

_"A relationship? With Sarah Davis?"_ Strauss sounded shocked at the suggestion.

"I heard her calling for Sarah in a nightmare. She implied they'd been more than friends," Emily said quietly.

A long pause was heard over the phone; Emily could tell Strauss was coming to terms with the information.

_"Thank you, Agent. That'll be all for now."_

Emily couldn't have been happier to say her goodbyes back.

* * *

The entirety of the BAU team, save for JJ, had spent the morning, afternoon, and evening working tirelessly to try and connect the four missing boys to each other, but at the end of the day they were no closer to solving the case than they were at the beginning. Emily tried not to let it get to her as she trudged down the walkway to her room in the dingy motel. She couldn't help but feel like if JJ had been with them, they would've gotten more done. She worked well with the intelligent blonde; they tended to bring out the strengths in each other.

With a twinge of guilt, Emily admitted to herself that part of the reason she hadn't been as productive today had been because of her conversation with Strauss. Even though it was what she was there to do, Emily continued to find it harder than ever to betray her friend like that. She knew she was walking a dangerous line- get close enough to JJ to find out what was going on, but not too close for it to hurt.

Part of Emily wondered if she'd already crossed that line.

But more than anything, Emily found herself truly worried for her friend at the end of the day. She knew this had been tough on her, she knew there was obviously a lot on JJ's mind that she hadn't talked about with anyone.

And that was why, amidst Emily's feelings of guilt and self-preservation, she still found herself outside of JJ's door, knocking softly in case the blonde was sleeping. Surely enough, within seconds Emily could hear movement inside the room, and the door cracked open. When JJ saw who was standing outside, she opened the door entirely, a weak smile on her usually vibrant face.

"Hey," Emily greeted her, trying to forget the fact that she'd just told Strauss _everything _JJ had told her confidentially. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"You didn't," JJ assured her. She knew she wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight anyways- not with all that had happened today.

"I just thought you could use a friend right now," Emily said honestly, her brown eyes full of compassion as she gazed at JJ, whose face was still slightly red, like she'd been crying.

JJ paused for a moment, like she was trying to find something to say to uphold her pride; to make herself seem _okay._

Seconds later, she had fallen forward into Emily's arms, gripping her so tightly that Emily could feel the blonde's muscles trembling. It didn't help that the cool air outside of the motel was encompassing JJ further; even though the wind chilled her to the core, Emily's arms were warm.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Emily soothed her, tenderly wrapping her arms around the younger girl's waist as JJ clung to her shoulders. "You're okay, Jayje."

The sweet nickname only made JJ hold her tighter. She buried her face in Emily's neck, relishing in the comforting scent of the older woman. Even though this was only the second time they'd really held each other like this, everything about Emily felt familiar, felt _safe. _The brunette was only an inch or so taller, but JJ felt completely enveloped by her as she sunk deeper into her embrace, arms still wrapped around Emily's neck and shoulders. Emily was soft, and warm, yet strong at the same time; JJ could feel the muscles along her back tensing as she relaxed against Emily, who took on more of her weight.

Both girls were too absorbed with each other to notice a door opening much further down the sidewalk under the overhang, as Rossi exited Hotch's room to head over to his own. The two men were only two doors apart, but as Rossi swiped his key card into his own room, he couldn't help but notice the tender embrace taking place in the doorway of JJ's room.

He smiled softly at the sight. Hotch spoke highly of the two agents, as did their team members. Even though he had no idea _how _they were still allowed to work in the same unit while being in a relationship, he could tell that the relationship wasn't hindering their work at all, if anything, it made them stronger. Jennifer looked completely at peace in Emily's arms, her eyes shut and relaxed for the first time that day.

Not wanting to intrude, Rossi quietly entered his own room, letting the door softly shut behind him as he made a mental note to ask Hotch about the new rules regarding fraternization in the FBI. After all, he'd been subject to those rules one too many times in his past career there.

Neither JJ or Emily noticed that he'd already come and gone. In fact, they stayed still for another moment like that before Emily found the strength to gently pull away, still keeping a protective hand on JJ's waist.

"If you, uh," she faltered, licking her lips nervously. "If you want to talk, JJ, I'm here to listen. Okay?"

JJ nodded, exhausted from the day's events. Talking was the last thing she wanted to do, but the thought of being alone in her room only brought her down more.

"Will you just- will you come in with me?" JJ gestured, shoving her hands in her pockets awkwardly. "I don't want to be alone right now."

Before she knew it, Emily was already following her into the room, gently closing the door behind them.

* * *

A nearly blinding ray of sunlight coming through the half-open shades of the motel's window was the first thing Emily Prentiss saw as her eyes groggily opened that morning. A mess of blonde hair on her chest, inhibiting her sight of the rest of the room, was the second.

Emily shut her eyes and let her head fall back on the pillow, not quite believing what she saw. However, the grounding weight sprawled across her body confirmed it.

She cautiously opened one eye again and gazed at the girl lying on top of her. Jennifer was sleeping soundly, her breathing slow and even. Her head lay on Emily's chest surrounded by a pillow of blonde hair, and one of her arms was draped lazily over Emily's waist. A slim thigh was thrown over both of Emily's, and her hips were pressed into the brunette's side.

Disturbing the sleeping blonde was completely out of the question. She looked far too peaceful for Emily to dare move out of the way.

So Emily shut her eyes, breathing deeply to try and stop her racing heart.

Last night, JJ had broken down, _again. _This time it was intentional. This time, she'd followed Emily into the motel room and shut the door with a somber look on that beautiful face.

Emily hadn't even dared to ask questions; she didn't want to pry, and part of her just wanted to _be _there for JJ without having it be because she needed information for Strauss.

When they _weren't_ talking, when it was just Emily and JJ, no Strauss, no mission, those were the perfect moments, Emily decided.

JJ had stared at her for a good minute, her lashes low and her eyes red. Emily had awkwardly perched on the side of the bed, not wanting to intrude on JJ's personal space.

"_Thank you for being here," _was the first thing JJ had said to her last night before she broke down in tears.

Emily had reached forward, taking the blonde's hand in hers and rubbing it softly, trying to comfort her. _"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."_

So naturally JJ had wound up in her arms after that, and the two girls had found their way in the middle of the double bed in JJ's hotel room. Emily hadn't asked a single question, she'd just held her, and JJ silently thanked her by burrowing farther into her arms.

That was the last thing Emily remembered before she'd fallen asleep. She just never thought she'd see the same sight waking up.

A slight rustle on her chest finally broke Emily out of her wandering thoughts. She gazed down to see that head of blonde hair shifting, like JJ was just waking up. Seconds later, piercing blue eyes were staring into hers.

"Good morning," was all Emily could say, and on cue, her heart began racing again. She wondered if JJ could feel it.

"Good morning," JJ replied, her voice husky from sleep and Emily fought the urge to smile.

She watched as JJ looked around, looking at how she was sprawled on top of Emily, flexing her wrist to get rid of the ache, but never removing it from the crook of Emily's neck.

"Thank you for staying," JJ said softly, her body tense, but not moving away. "You didn't have to, Em."

Emily swallowed hard, offering JJ a reassuring smile that was a lot more convincing than she felt. "I know. I wanted to."

JJ smiled, nuzzling her head into Emily's neck once again. She felt Emily's hand lazily stroking her side as she relaxed into the brunette once again, enjoying the silence that came with their tender embrace.

She was so comfortable that she completely forgot to look at the clock, or to check if she'd ever set an _alarm _last night.

* * *

The BAU team had waited a few minutes past their specified meeting time, and upon seeing neither Emily or JJ approach the SUV, decided it was time to see why the agents were running late. When Emily's phone went straight to voicemail and JJ's did the same, Reid began to voice his worry for his best friend, and Morgan tried to rationalize that their phones just happened to be dead or off. But even Hotch could admit that both agents' phones being dead was a little strange.

So it was Rossi who volunteered to go check on them, starting with JJ's room.

He approached the outside of the motel, his sunglasses still on due to the bright light of the parking lot. As he walked up to the door, he noticed the shades were half-open, showcasing half of the bed and the dresser in the small motel room.

Squinting, Rossi saw two pairs of feet on the end of the bed, one leg thrown over someone else's body, and a glimpse of long blonde hair mixed with dark brown. When he knocked on the door, gently, so he didn't disturb them, he saw JJ untangle herself from Emily's arms and shoot out of bed towards the door.

"Good morning, sunshine," he joked as a very sleepy Jennifer opened the door, squinting hard at the bright light. "Forget to set your alarm?"

"Alarm? What time is it?" JJ squeaked, panic setting in as she realized she'd forgotten to charge her phone or set an alarm last night- she'd been far too caught up in Emily.

"We were supposed to leave for the station ten minutes ago, but we were waiting for you and Prentiss," Rossi explained, leaning his head to the side as he saw Emily sitting in the middle of the bed, wide-eyed.

JJ's heart was pounding out of her chest- she knew there was no reason for her team to think anything was wrong, after all, Rossi couldn't have _seen _anything, and nothing had even happened between her and Emily. What was so wrong about Emily staying in her room to comfort her?

"Why don't you get sleeping beauty out of bed and meet us back at the SUV?" Rossi nudged, nodding back towards Emily from the doorway.

"I- uh, I'll do that, sir," JJ said quickly, clearly flustered. Rossi wondered why her cheeks were so red- after all, they were both fully clothed. He had to admit, they made a beautiful couple, and after last night he was sure JJ had needed the comfort of her girlfriend, even if agents in relationships weren't necessarily allowed to room together during cases.

"I'll let the others know," Rossi replied, turning on his heel to head back towards the SUV. As soon as he was out of earshot, JJ let out a breath that she didn't even realize she'd been holding, feeling herself start to grow hot with anxiety over what had just conspired. Ever since she was a child, she'd felt the need to hide feelings like these, _especially _like these. Maybe JJ had no reason to panic, to worry, or to overthink what had happened, but she couldn't calm down her racing mind.

Then she looked back towards Emily, towards the beautiful brunette in the middle of _her _bed, hair messy and eyes squinting from the light, and for a moment, all her worries flew away.

* * *

Derek Morgan never considered himself an oblivious man.

In fact, he took pride in how much attention he always paid to detail in cases. Even if he had to think on the spot and make rash decisions, internally he'd already accounted for the outcomes of every possible scenario. He always made himself aware of his surroundings, and refused to let anything slip by him.

Except for recently, that is.

It was later in the evening now, and after a long day's work, Hotch had insisted the team meet for dinner and drinks in a small bar next to the motel they were staying in. Morgan had to admit, they'd made incredible progress on the case today- they'd built a profile, and a very short list of people who fit it. They had around-the-clock surveillance on the potential unsub, and all there was left to do now was wait for his next move. Hotch had insisted they get back at it tomorrow morning, indicating they all needed food and a good night's sleep. Of course, nobody had protested the team's leader.

So now Hotch, Rossi, Reid, Morgan, JJ and Emily were all squeezed into a round corner booth in a dimly lit bar, sharing some of the greasiest food and some of the hardest drinks they'd had in a long time. Hotch and Rossi were at one end of the booth, both focused on Hotch's cell phone as he swiped from photo to photo, catching his old friend up on the details of his son Jack's latest soccer game. Reid was at the other end of the booth, and the lanky agent was currently catching Morgan up on a theory regarding a TV show Morgan had never even heard of. What had really captured Morgan's attention was the two female BAU agents squeezed in the middle of the corner booth. Emily was sitting next to him, and JJ next to Rossi, but he didn't have to be a profiler to notice the lack of space between JJ and Emily and the abundance of it on the sides of their male counterparts.

If it had just been how closely they were seated, Morgan didn't think he would've found it strange, but it _wasn't _just that. JJ was on her fourth drink of the night, and her face looked flushed, her eyes wide and hazy. Her food lay in front of her, half-eaten, and every once in a while Emily would try to remind her of that and convince her to have a few more bites 'before it gets cold'. JJ would pout, but eventually gave in, nibbling on a few french fries before she dipped one into Emily's drink and acted like it was a straw, swirling it around and laughing heartily at the offended look on the brunette's face.

The two agents were completely engrossed in each other, unaware of any conversation going on around them as JJ continued to babble about a country song she'd heard on the radio earlier, and how she'd known the brother of the artist back in elementary school. This launched a further conversation into JJ's childhood, one that Emily seemed more than happy to sit back and listen to, her hand on her cheek as she gazed at the blonde with a look of wonder. Morgan could see that she'd had her fair share to drink as well, but was still clearly intent on trying to hold it together.

"I would never have been a cheerleader," JJ was currently insisting, her hands flying around animatedly as she leaned in to half-shout into Emily's ear. "_Soccer_."

"You played soccer, or you were a cheerleader for the soccer team?" Emily couldn't help but stutter back, turning her head slightly to catch the playful, challenged look in JJ's eyes. The comment earned her a light-hearted slap, followed by a scoff from JJ, who at this point had turned her body into Emily's and was pressed against her side, whisper-shouting the story into her ear like the bar was somehow too noisy for them to have a conversation at a _normal _distance.

"I _played _soccer, Emilyyyy," JJ claimed, drawing out the syllables of Emily's name in a way that would've felt almost _seductive_ if Emily didn't know how drunk the blonde was. "They were- they cheered for _me. _I was good, you know."

"Yeah? I bet you were," Emily challenged, her eyebrows raised as she felt the alcohol drowning her thoughts, letting her eyes rake over the girl in front of her, completely unaware that JJ's eyes were following hers the entire time, a smirk on the blonde's lips.

"I am really, really, _good, _Emmy," JJ insisted once again, a wicked smirk spreading across that perfectly sculpted face, her hot breath hitting Emily's ear and sending shivers down Emily's spine. Nothing made sense anymore, any thought of Strauss or her job had completely ran from Emily's mind, and all she could see and feel was Jennifer.

Morgan grabbed Reid's arm sharply, cutting off his rant and quieting the boy, which caught the attention of Hotch and Rossi as well. The table, save for Emily and JJ, was silent, although the chatter in the bar around still rambled on, which led the girls to not notice a difference.

"How good?" Emily was now asking, and _soccer_ was the furthest thing from her mind. Her eyes felt heavy, and JJ felt warm, felt _good _pressed up against her like that.

JJ's arms tangled themselves around Emily's neck, motioning for her to come closer as she pressed her mouth against Emily's ear again, like she was sharing a deep secret. Emily's eyes fell shut of their own accord at the feeling of the accidental brush of JJ's lips against her earlobe. Her hand was gripping the table, refusing to let it slip away and onto JJ's thigh, which was still flush with hers.

Before JJ could answer her, Rossi cleared his throat sharply, a smirk on the older man's face at the way the two girls simply couldn't keep their hands off each other.

"JJ, I think you've had enough to drink," Hotch spoke up firmly, shaking both girls out of their daze.

JJ turned her head to the side, blinking her eyes furiously, her arms still draped around Emily's shoulders. Emily instantly began to withdraw from the other girl, shifting to the side a little, but stopping once she caught the disappointed look on JJ's face.

"You act like you're still in the honeymoon phase," Rossi chuckled to himself as he watched Emily give in and allow JJ to rest her head on her shoulder.

Emily let out a hoarse laugh, cheeks burning at the joke she assumed Rossi was making. As soon as she felt the eyes of the table on her, she felt more sober than ever.

"I should get her back to her room," Emily quietly offered, gently shifting out of a sleepy JJ's embrace, suddenly all too aware of how close the blonde really was.

"Emily, you're as drunk as she is," Morgan reminded her, scooting up out of his seat to make room for JJ and Emily to shift out of the booth. "Come on now, I'll walk you both back."

From the look on Morgan's face, Emily could tell that objecting was simply futile.

* * *

Emily had a hand looped firmly around JJ's waist, carrying most of the other girl's weight as JJ rambled on about the lights on the sidewalk on the block of the motel, her arm swung over Emily's neck for added support. Morgan stuck to JJ's other side, ready to jump in if needed, but otherwise, quietly letting Emily lead the way.

"We didn't have them, like that," JJ was explaining to Emily, who kept urging her forward- apparently the drunk girl couldn't walk and talk at the same time. "Barely any of the lights worked in my town, and they weren't- what is that, the different type of light, it's brighter and lasts longer-" JJ rambled on, clearly frustrated with her foggy memory.

"LED?" Emily offered, guiding JJ down the sidewalk as she exchanged a look with Morgan.

"Yes!" JJ's eyes lit up as she stumbled to a stop in front of her room's door, spinning to wrap her other arm around Emily's neck too, falling forward against the other girl in a display of excitement. "You always know, Emily," she mumbled into Emily's shoulder, staggering on her feet.

Behind JJ was Morgan, meeting Emily's eyes with a defensive look and crossed arms. Emily steadied JJ with a nervous laugh, wondering what was running through Morgan's mind right now.

"JJ let's get you in your room," Morgan insisted as he opened the door for the two girls, helping Emily usher JJ in the small motel room. The blonde practically collapsed on the bed with an exhausted sigh, losing her energetic spark.

"Come on," Emily said softly, sitting down on the side of the bed and removing JJ's shoes, carefully placing them by the side of the bed. She stiffened at the feeling of JJ's hand coming up and tracing up and down her spine, but only because she knew Morgan's eyes were trained on her right now. Otherwise, she realized she wouldn't have a problem with it.

With _any _of this.

"Hey, where's your phone?" Emily asked quietly, turning to face the sleepy blonde. JJ just gave her a flirty smile and a wink.

"JJ, did you leave your phone at the bar?" Emily sighed, trying not to focus on how irresistible the younger agent looked.

"No. I have it," JJ insisted, wiggling around on the bed proudly.

"Okay, where is it? JJ, you need to charge it," Emily reminded her, glancing around the room to see if she'd tossed it when she entered.

"My pocket," JJ said simply, bringing her hands up and tucking them behind her head as she yawned.

"Why don't you put it on the nightstand and I'll get your charger," Emily offered, bending down to pull JJ's charging cord out of her go bag and plugging it into the outlet on her nightstand. She looked over expectantly to find JJ's eyes sparkling back at hers, with no phone procured.

"_Jayje_," Emily sighed, giving the younger blonde a stern look that didn't exactly reflect how she felt.

"My left back pocket," JJ instructed cheekily, squirming enough to arch her hips towards Emily.

Forcing herself not to look at Morgan's disapproving gaze, she reached around JJ's slim figure to grope at her left pocket, frowning when she came out empty handed. Rolling her eyes, she searched in JJ's right pocket and sure enough, found the blonde's cell phone.

A tinkling laugh erupted from JJ's lips as she watched Emily plug her phone into the charger and set an alarm on it, knowing the blonde wouldn't remember before she fell asleep.

Before Emily stood up from the bed, she dug around JJ's go bag for another second before coming out with a bottle of ibuprofen and setting it on the side of the bed next to the phone. She got up for a moment to fill up a glass of water from the bathroom sink and placed it on the nightstand next to the ibuprofen, knowing JJ would need it in the morning.

"Goodnight JJ," she said softly as she and Morgan headed towards the door.

"You're leaving?" JJ's voice sounded hoarse, much more sober than she'd sounded all night. Emily felt her stomach twist.

"I've got to get to my own room," she reminded the disoriented blonde, finger hovering over the light switch. "We'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

The younger agent nodded, a disappointed look in her eyes. Emily turned her head away, knowing otherwise it would be far too hard to walk away, and finally shut off the light.

Once they were outside of JJ's room, Emily broke the tense silence.

"Morgan-"

"Don't," he cut her off, gesturing towards her room as they headed down the walkway. "Prentiss, be real with me."

"Of course," she agreed, guilt starting to seep back into the ends of her mind again. _What did he know? _

"Are you and JJ together?"

Emily whirled around to look at him, completely shocked. "What?"

"Are you dating her? Is it just hooking up?" He continued, a worried look crossing his dark features. "Look, Prentiss, you seem like a good one, okay? But JJ is like my family, and if you do _anything _to hurt that girl-"

"Morgan, I- I don't even know what to say," Emily cut him off, feeling her cheeks flush with color. "I'm not _dating _JJ. I'm not hooking up with JJ, either. I'm not... we're just friends," she finished lamely, feeling her fingers begin to twitch, looking for something to distract themselves with.

"I'm not blind," he sighed, rubbing his head in his hands. "She's been acting different the last two months and it's when she's with you. And tonight, I mean I've seen JJ drunk before but never like _that._"

"It's been a tough case on her," Emily said softly, trying to defend her friend. _What had JJ been like before she'd met her? Was she really that different now?_

_"_And you know that, don't you?" Morgan pointed out, a little louder than he'd meant to. "Prentiss, she _talks_ to you about this stuff. Hell, she doesn't even talk to _me _about that stuff and I've known her for years."

"There's nothing going on," Emily insisted, shaking her head to prove her point. "Really, I'm- I'm not interested in her like that," she continued, feeling her voice begin to shake as she spoke. "And JJ's not, either."

"Like I said, I'm not blind," Morgan scoffed, leaning against the exterior wall of the motel. "I've never seen her act like she did tonight. Not even with Garcia, and they've been friends for _years._"

"I don't know what to tell you," Emily shrugged, trying to prevent her voice from cracking any further. _Why was this conversation so difficult for her? _"There's really nothing going on, Derek."

He studied her for a moment, trying to discern whether she was lying to him or not. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

"I know we haven't known each other long, but if you need to talk about this I'm here."

The words echoed in Emily's mind, sending a jolt of pain to her chest that she couldn't quite describe, and understood even less.

"I'll keep that in mind, if I ever need to. Thank you," she said, as calmly as she could muster.

Although Derek didn't seem completely appeased with her answer, he was wise enough to leave it at that and bid her goodnight as Emily slipped into her room.

As soon as the door was shut, Emily sank against it with a long sigh, her head falling back against the solid frame.

This was her _job. _

This was _JJ, _someone who was being actively investigated by the FBI for _terrorism_, and Emily was the one investigating her.

This was _JJ, _someone she admired more and more every conversation she had with her. Someone incredibly strong, and so incredibly alone. Someone who shouldn't have to be either of those things as often as she was.

_JJ, _who was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl Emily had ever laid eyes on, and Emily had been with more than a few beautiful girls.

_JJ, _who had also been with a girl, and had given Emily reasons to think she'd be _more _than interested tonight.

_JJ, _who had been growing closer and closer to her, sharing more and more, and drawing emotions from Emily that she hadn't felt before in her entire lifetime.

Emily felt her breaths become shorter and her body flush with heat. She sank down to the ground, still leaning against the door as she rested her head against her knees, taking a deep breath. She was interrupted from her deep breathing by the buzzing of her cell phone- the caller ID flashing the name of none other than Erin Strauss.

_Fuck. _

What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

**A/N: Yes, of course I had to use the drunk flirting cliche, but I'm just too excited to build on JJ and Emily's budding relationship! Let me know what you thought! (and yes, the storyline with Sarah and JJ will unravel in later chapters!)**


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